10.09.2008

Financial Markets... who cares

Ok that is a harsh statement, but it is true. We heard this past week of the CEO of Lehman Bros chastised by congress and the American public for making 300 million dollars over the last 8 years. We hear Americans getting upset about the 700 billion dollar bailout that we will have to fund. People are upset with the labor unions that have driven up the cost of goods, people get angry with their lazy bosses who get paid much more than they do. So many people worship mammon that they fail to see what is ahead for them. Jesus tried to free the rich young ruler from this, He toled him ‘sell it all’. What was the ruler's response? He went away disappointed. What is our response when we read Jesus' command to sell it all? We say, “That is an exaggeration” or “That does not apply to me”. The first thing you do is to write off those words of our Lord as not for you, before you examine them to see if indeed they are for you. Let me ask this, if you had sold everything and given to the poor, and were on virtually nothing right now, how would have the market crash affected you? How much stress would you feel right now? None, you would be free.

People are too worried about someone else’s golden parachute, they fail to realize that a gold parachute is going to drop like a rock straight to the pit of hell. When Jesus saw the rich young ruler was He angry? No!! If you recall the scripture says, “He had compassion on him”. Maybe you just know better than Jesus, and that is why you are angry with the rich rulers of the day, as opposed to having compassion on them like He did. Jesus showed the ruler more compassion than the religous hypocrite, maybe that should sober us a little bit. Lets go back to that 300 million dollar CEO. How much gold could you buy with that? Answer: 21,114 pounds of gold at $888 per ounce. That equates to 10 tons of gold! That is quite a retirement is it not? It is a pathetic retirement, you could not even pave your driveway with 10 tons of gold, let alone all your streets. Do you not know that your retirement community will be far more extravagant than that man’s. But, who even cares about that, do you not know that you will live in the very presence of the King of the Universe, the Lord of Lords? Your anger at earthly kings and their prosperity shows your own depravity and lack of belief in the inheritance that is reserved for those who are in Christ Jesus.

Come on, do not be tossed to and fro by changing markets, wealthy politicians, and nonsense that are only vapor that will pass away in a short time. Seek Christ, get firmly rooted in Him and rest. There is no need for fear, what is the worst that could happen? Pain, starvation, loneliness, death… but for how long? You are here for but a short time.

Then again, maybe getting so bent out of shape about current events only shows that you still have doubt about the everafter.